Full-spectrum extracts: what does it mean? What are the benefits, and the best products on the market in 2020

The cannabis industry has been on a wonderful journey over the past couple of years, innovative techniques and mindblowing products that could have only been dreamed about in times past now fill the cannabis market for humanity to enjoy. We now have several products with cutting edge purity and potency, products with precise purposes and functions in the human body, etc. And one of these numerous new products currently available in the market today is Cannabis Concentrates, the creme de la creme of canna-products.

Cannabis concentrates, also known as cannabis extracts, are innovative products produced from cannabis via special techniques solely aimed at deriving highly potent products. Concentrates are very potent, containing ridiculous levels of THC and/or CBD, up to 99% in the case of distilled concentrates.

These products come in various forms (shatter, wax, kief, concentrate oil, etc) that are consumed in several ways. Although cannabis concentrates are extremely potent because of their high levels of the major cannabinoids they can often lack grossly in their minor cannabinoids, and terpenes content. A sad fact which steps down the total experience derived by users because these other minor cannabis plant materials like terpenes, flavonoids, proteins, etc bring so much to the table; they’re hugely responsible for flavor, aroma, feel, entourage effects, just to name a few.

The cannabis world would have had to settle for this if not for the production of special mindblowing products known as Full-spectrum concentrates or Full spectrum extracts.

What are Full-spectrum cannabis concentrates?

Literally speaking, the word ‘spectrum’ in cannabis refers to the different compounds of therapeutic importance produced by the trichome glands of the cannabis plant. So when a product is referred to as ‘full spectrum’ it basically means all of the compounds.

Full-spectrum extracts are a special group of cannabis concentrates produced in a way that they maintain the complex group of beneficial compounds and components present in the raw plant material without any form of change in chemical nature or structure. In some markets, these products are referred to as Full Extract Cannabis Oil (FECO) or Full Spectrum Cannabis Oil (FSCO). They also come in various forms, and the major ones are:

•         High Terpene Full Spectrum Extract (HTFSE)
•         High Cannabinoid Full Spectrum Extract (HCFSE)
•         Live resin
•         Sauce
•         Shatter, etc.

Each cannabis plant is unique, blessed with its own profile of chemical components that all play unique roles in the medical or recreational effects derived from that plant. So if the natural order is distorted it concurrently impacts the effects derivable from such a plant. This is where full-spectrum extracts come in, they are produced specifically to capture all beneficial components present in the cannabis plant as at the moment of extraction without altering the compounds in any way, either by oxidation or decarboxylation.

A unique and beneficial attribute that causes a mindblowing synergistic effect often referred to as the entourage effect. This effect, a huge advantage that full-spectrum extracts have over all other forms of extracts, is a beneficial interaction that occurs between the several components present in the cannabis product. They all interact to give fantastic results known as the entourage effect.

How are full-spectrum extracts produced?

Nothing worthwhile ever comes easy, at least on this planet anyway. And the same goes for Full spectrum cannabis extracts. They are immensely complex to produce because they involve not just getting rid of the unwanted components like fat and lipids, a huge amount of the beneficial compounds have to be preserved as well. To produce these extracts, delicate extraction procedures are utilized. They include

1. Hydrocarbon extraction – This is a very efficient full spectrum extraction technique that involves the use of aliphatic hydrocarbons (butane, butane mixed with propane). This technique of extraction is carried out by cooling and rapidly liquefying the gaseous hydrocarbons after which they are run through the processed plant material. The liquefied gas dissolves the needed components of the cannabis plant material to give a solution of both. Which is later separated using high-end separation techniques like dewaxing or winterization.
2. Supercritical CO2 extraction – This full spectrum extraction method basically employs temperature and pressure to produce specific phase changes in carbon dioxide. The CO2 interchanges between the gaseous and liquid phase possessing low viscosity and surface tension to aid the extraction of therapeutic components present in plant matter. The temperature and pressure utilized are the ones specifically designed to induce a supercritical fluid state in the CO2 where it has the capabilities of extracting the most beneficial of compounds present in cannabis plants. It should be noted that unlike the hydrocarbon technique of extraction, this requires virtually no post-extraction procedures.
3. Pressure – Another technique employed in the extraction of full-spectrum cannabis concentrates is the use of pressure. Unlike other full-spectrum cannabis extraction methods, this doesn’t need the use of an extracting solvent which makes it a lot safer than other extraction methods. However, it should be noted that a high amount of heat is utilized during this process so there is always that slight concern that some of the delicate and wanted compounds like the flavonoids, terpenes, etc might be altered.

Full-spectrum extracts are delicate and as such the procedure parameters are meant to be maintained at all times. Mild changes in parameter conditions and you might be left with a different product entirely.

It should be noted that the final component of the full spectrum extracts are relative to the component of the particular plant they were produced from. So the components of full-spectrum extracts derived from dried cannabis plants will be different from that of those gotten from fresh plants. It should also be noted that the numerous factors different plants are subjected to over the course of cultivation and storage affect the final components of the extracts.

What are the benefits of full-spectrum cannabis extracts?

The benefits of full-spectrum cannabis concentrates goes on and on, a couple of them include:

•         They maintain the natural profile of chemical components (terpenes, flavonoids, cannabinoids, etc).
•         They deliver the natural aromas and flavors of the cannabis plant
•         They produce unique entourage effects (synergistic interactions that produce enhanced effects of active constituents).
•         They preserve major cannabinoids in their original acidic form

Major types of full-spectrum cannabis concentrates

As mentioned above, there are several forms of full-spectrum cannabis concentrates, all of which have unique attributes. However, in this section, I’ll be drilling down on the highly sought after High Cannabinoid Full Spectrum Extract (HCFSE), the crown jewel of full-spectrum cannabis concentrates. A full-spectrum cannabis concentrate with an abundance of terpenes, flavonoids, cannabinoids, and so on.

High Cannabinoid Full Spectrum Extract (HCFSE) are very unique, they are processed via a special vacuum purge process that converts the THC components into their original crystalline form (diamond-like) hence the process is often referred to as ‘diamond mining’.

A properly produced High Cannabinoid Full Spectrum Extract (HCFSE) brings out the absolute best of a cannabis plant for consumers to enjoy, a condensed, extremely potent extract abundantly blessed with a rich terpene, flavonoid content.

Sadly, not all products offered for sale on the cannabis market are properly produced and as such won’t give consumers the expected results or the experience they crave for. This, among many others, is why you should go for the best products available in the market.

Unlike before when anything goes in the world of cannabis, the majority of cannabis users today are attaining connoisseur levels with high standards and taste. A lot of users crave the absolute best in uniqueness, purity, potency, convenience, etc. And in 2020 there is no High Cannabinoid Full Spectrum Extract (HCFSE) out there that better meets that criteria than THC Diamonds!  With all the flavours and excellent potency, not to mention stable shelf life, you just cant go wrong with plugging some into your portable rig and be happily moving through the world wearing that giant smile, Enjoy!